Lighting fixture



Nov. 24, 1925.

.T. J. NELSON LIGHTING FIXTURE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Original Filed March 14 1921 Nov. 24, 1925.

T. J. NELSON LIGHTING FIXTURE Original FiledMarch 14 1921 Sheets-Sheet 2 f-il) Patented Nov. i925.

UNi'l'ED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

THEODORE J. NELSON, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIG-NOB 'IO COLONIAL LAMP & FIX- TUBE WORKS, 015 CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A. CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

LIGHTING FIXTURE.

Application filed March 14. 1921, Serial No. 452,276. Renewed May 20, 1925.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THEODORE J. NELSON, a subject of the King of Sweden, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Lighting Fixtures, of which the following is a specification.

My invention has reference more particularly to a portable lighting fixture similar to that shown in my copending application Serial No. 389,294, which has a flexible hanger with a counterweight, whereby the fixture may be mounted by merely engaging the fiexible hanger over an object.

An important feature of my present invention is the use of a hanger comprising two parts which connect the fixture and counterweight, and are not only capable of supporting the fixture in all places where a strap or band hanger may be used, but may be spread apart to satisfactorily engage over objects having irregularities or proj'ections in the upper face which would render the use of a strap support undesirable. Moreover, the separating of the two parts may be utilized to increase the stability of the suspended fixture, and the two parts may be independently adjusted on the supporting object to level up the fixture, par ticularly if one part engages over a higher portion of the object than the other.

The principal objects of my invention are to provide an improved portable fixture; to connect a counterweight to the fixture by means of a plurality of flexible members, such as cords, so that the fixture may be suspended by merely engaging the members over a support; to permit the said members to be spread apart to straddle or avoid irregularities in the upper surface of the support over which the fixture is suspended,

and also to increase the stability of the fix-- ture when suspended; to permit separate adjustment of said members for the purpose of leveling up the fixture; to provide an improved construction of the fixture whereby it is particularly adapted to be suspended; to afford an improved connection of the flexible hanger with the fixture; to provide an improved counterweight; and, in general, to provide an improved fixture comprising flexible supporting members which increase the utility of the fixture and render it more desirable because of its wide range of usefulness.

On the draw1ngs- Fig. 1 is a perspective view ofmy improved fixture suspended over the head of a bed;

Fig. 2 an enlarged view of the fixture with parts broken away and in section to disclose details of construction;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. at a sectional view of the counterweight on the line 41t of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 3 showing a modification of the invention;

Referring to the drawings, the reference numeral 1 indicates as a whole the fixture base, which comprises a fiat shell 2 having a tubular goose neck 3 extending forwardly and upwardly from the front face thereof, and carrying a socket 4 at the outer end in which an electric lamp 5 is mounted. The shell 2 has a pair of laterally spaced openings 11 in the front wall thereof and at a short distance from the top, through which the corresponding ends of a pair of flexible supports 12, preferably in the form of cords, are inserted into the interior of the shell, the other ends of these supports, or cords, being connected at laterally spaced points to a weight 14-. This weight is sufficient to counterbalance the fixture, when the cords are engaged over a support, and because of the spaced connection of the cords with the shell 2 and weight 1, sa1d cords tend to normally maintain a spaced relation. I

A plate 6 is inserted and secured in the rear of the shell 2 and is of suitable weight so that when the fixture is suspended by the cords 12 it counterbalances the goose neck 3, socket 4;, and other parts of the fixture at the front of the shell 2, so that the shell 2 is maintained in an upright position as shown in Fig. 2, this result being also facilitated by the direction in which the cords 12 emerge from the shell 2, which forms a bend in the cords which serves to some extent to maintain the upright position of the fixture.

The plate 6 may be secured to the shell 2 in any convenient manner, being preferably seated within the marginal flange of the shell against a stud 7, and having a screw 8 inserted therethrough into the stud. This screw is countersunk in the plate, and a feltback 10 fastened on the rear surface of the plate 6 so that the fixture will not scratch or mar any surface with which it comes in contact.

A chamber 9 is left between the. shell 2 and plate 6 into which the ends of the cords 12 extend, and these are tied together in the chamber in a knot 13, or otherwise fastened so that they will not pull out of the openings 11.

The counterweight l l consists of a heavy back plate 15 having a face plate 16 secured thereto by one or more screws 17 so as to clamp the ends of the cords 12 therebetween and hold same in the desired spaced relation.

In the preferred construction each cord 12 contains a single conductor 18, which at one end extends into the chamber 9 of the fixture, and is connected through the goose neck 3 with the socket 4t, and at the other end these conductors extend with the cords in between the plates 15 and 16, and are connected to the corresponding wires of a lamp cord, or twin conductor, 19, which latter extends out from the counterweight 14 to a suitable distance, and has an attachment plug 20 at the end. To properly admit the lamp cord 19 to the space between the plates 15 and 16 the former plate preferably has a flange 21 at its lower end with an aperture having an insulated bushing 22 therein through which the lamp cord 19 is passed.

In the modified construction shown in Fig. 5 the lamp cord which is indicated at 23 leads into the lower end of the fixture base 2 through an insulated bushin 24:, and thence through the goose neck 3 to a socket on the outer end of the neck or arm 3 in the same manner as in the previously described construction. The suspending cords 25 in this modified form of construction do not therefore contain the wires or conductors such as shown at 18 in the preferred construction but are merely flexible members of any suitable type.

The fixture may have any suitable shade mounted thereon, a convenient type being illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2, and shown to comprise a circular band 26 which engages on the upper end of the socket 4E, and is held 1n place by the lamp when the latter is screwed into the socket t, this band being provided with a laterally extending arm 27 having a pair of toggle links 28 and 29 pivoted to the outer end thereof, with lamp shade 3O pivoted to the outer end of the link 29. The band 26 is rotatable around the end of the socket l for adjusting the shade and by adjusting the toggle links 28 and angularly and adjusting the pivotal connection thereof vith the arm 2? and shade 30 the latter may be turned down alongside oi the lamp 5, and thereby adjusted to any position in which the shade may be desired.

It will be observed by referring to Fig. 1 that the provision of the fixture with two supporting cords 12 renders it possible to spread the cords apart to avoid any irregularities or ornamentation on the upper surface of the support over which the cords 12 are engaged, as for example the raised part 31 on the head of the bed, and the cords may also be separated in any case to stabilize or prevent swinging of the fixture about a vertical axis. Furthermore, if the portion of the object over which one of the cords is hung is somewhat higher than the portion of the object over which the other cord is hung, either cord may be adjusted to level up the fixture, such adustment merely resulting in a tipping of the weight 14: to some extent.

il hile I have shown and described my invention in a preferred form I am aware that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the principles of my invention, the scope of which is to be determined by the appended laims.

I claim as my invention:

1. The combination of a lighting fixture comprising a plate having a lamp mounted thereon at onev side, and a. pair of flexible sup-porting members having the plate connected therewith so that the latter is maintained by gravity in an upright position when supported by said members, said members being spaced apart so as to hold the plate against twisting i'i'iovement around the vertical axis when suspended by said members.

2. The combination of a lighting fixture, comprising a base having a pair of spaced flexible supporting members connected thereto so as to be maintained by gravity in an upright position when supported by said members, a lamp holder mounted on one side of the base and a. sul'istantially flat face on the other side of the base adapted to engage an upright surface for holding the fixture against turning movement when suspended by the tlexible members.

The combination of a lighting fixture comprising a flat base having a lamp holder at one side thereof, a pair of spaced flexible supporting members connected to the base so that the latter is maintained by gravity in an upright position when supported by said members, and electrical conductors extending through the flexible members into the base.

l. The combination of a. lighting fixture comprising a substantially flat base having a lamp holder mounted thereon at one side of the base, a pair of spaced flexible supporting members connected to the base for suspending the latter in an upright position,

and a counterweight connected to the flexible supporting members at a distance from the base for holding the latter in equilibrium when intermediate portions of the flexible members are loosely engaged over a support.

5. The combination of a lighting fixture comprising a substantially flat base having a lamp socket at one side thereof, a. pair of spaced flexible supporting members connected to the base so as to support the latter in an upright position, a counterweight eonnected to the flexible membersv at a distance from the base so as to hold the latter in equilibrium when intermediate portions of the flexible members are loosely engaged over a support, and electrical conductors leading into the base and connected to the lamp socket.

6. The combination of a fixture comprising an upright base having a socket carried thereby at a distance in front of the base, a pair of laterally spaced flexible supporting members connected to the front of the base near the top. a weight at the back of the base for co-unterbalancing the lamp socket and attached parts when the fixture is suspended by the flexible supporting members, and a weight connected to the flexible supporting members at a distance from the fixture so as to hold the latter in equilibrium when intermediate portions of the flexible supporting members are engaged over a support.

7. The combination of a lighting fixture having a pair of flexible supporting members connected thereto at laterally spaced points, a weight connected to the flexible supporting members at a distance from the fixture so as to hold the latter in equilibrium when intermediate portions of the flexible members are engaged over a support, said members being loose from the support so that they may be shifted lengthwise to change the elevation of the fixture and may be shifted laterally along the support for horizontally adjusting the fixture.

8. In a device of the class described, the combination of a lamp holder having a pair of flexible support-s connected thereto at laterally spaced points, a lamp socket on the holder at one side of the plane of said flexible supports, acounterweight on the holder at the other side of said plane, and a weight on the flexible supporting members at a distance from the lamp holder for holding the lamp holder in equilibrium when intermediate portions of the flexible members are engaged over a support.

9. In a device of the class described, the combination of a flat base having a socket thereon at a distance from the front of the base, a pair of flexible supporting members leading out from the front of the base near the top thereof at laterally spaced points so as to hold the base in an upright position when suspended by said supporting members, and a weight connected to the flexible members at a distance from the base and adapted to counterbalance the latter, when intermediate portions of the flexible members are loosely engaged over a support.

10. In a device of the class described, the combination of a lamp holder comprising an upright base, a lamp socket carried by the base and spaced from the front there of, a pair of laterally spaced cords extending out at the front of the base, and having a counterweight connected to the opposite ends thereof, electrical conductors in the cords leading from the counterweight through the base to the socket, and a weight secured to the base at the rear so as to hold thelatter in upright position when suspend ed by the flexible supporting members.

11. In a device of the class described, the combination of a flat shell having an arm extending forwardly therefrom and provided with a lamp socket at the outer end, a pair of spaced apertures in the front wall of the shell near the top thereof, a flexible supporting member extending outwardly through each aperture, a weight connected to the flexible supporting members at a distance from the shell, and a plate detachably secured to the back of the shell and adapted to counterbalance the forwardly extending arm and socket and attachments thereon, and hold the shell in an upright position when the latter is suspended by the flexible supporting members.

12. In a device of the class described, the combination of a fixture comprising a flat shell having an arm extending forwardly therefrom adjacent the lower end and pr0- vided with a socket on the outer end thereof, a pair of laterally spaced apertures in the front wall of the shell near the top thereof, a flexible supporting member extending outwardly from the shell through each aperture, a weight connected to the flexible sup porting members at a distance from the shell and adapted to hold the latter in equilibrium when intermediate portions of the flexible members are loosely engaged over a support, electrical conductors leading from the socket to the interior of the shell, and therefrom through the flexible supporting members to the weight and having extensions leading from the weight and provided with an at tachment plug at the outer ends thereof, and a plate secured to the rear of the afore said shell and spaced from the front wall to provide a compartment for the electrical conductors and the ends of the flexible supporting members, said plate being adapted to counterbalance the portions of the fixture at the opposite side of the flexible supporting members so as to hold the shell in an up right position when suspended by the flexible members.

13. In a device of the class described, the

combination of a substantially flat base having a lamp holder at one side thereof, a pair of spaced flexible supporting members for suspending the latter in an upright position, said members being connected to the base so that the portion of the latter at one side of the members substantially balances the lamp holder and the portion of the base: at the other side thereof, and a counterweight connected to the flexible members at a distance from the base so as to counterbalance the base when intermediate portions of the members are loosely connected over a sup-port.

14. In a device of the class described, the combination of a hollow base ha-Vin asocket at one side thereof, a pair of space flexible supporting members connected to the base for holding the latter in an upright position, a counterweight on said members at a distance from the base for holding the latter in equilibrium when intermediate portions of the members are. loosely engaged over a support, and electrical conductors leading into the interior of the base and connected to the socket.

THEODORE J. NELSON. 

